Timeline of human evolution
The timeline of human evolution outlines the major events in the development of the , , and the of the human's ancestors. It includes brief explanations of some of the , , and the that are seen today as possible ancestors of modern humans. This timeline is based on studies from , , , , and from and data. It does not address the origin of life. That discussion is provided by , but presents one possible line of evolutionary descent of species that eventually led to humans. Timeline Detailed timeline of Homo Sapiens This timeline of human prehistory comprises the time from the first appearance of Homo sapiens in Africa 300,000 years ago to the and the beginning of , 5,000 years ago. It thus covers the time from the (Old Stone Age) to the very beginnings of the . All dates are approximate subject to revision based on new discoveries or analyses. Middle Paleolithic :See , for earlier evolutionary history. * 315,000 years ago: approximate date of appearance of ( , Morocco). * 270,000 years ago: age of (" "). * 250,000 years ago: first appearance of ( ) * 250,000–200,000 years ago: modern human presence in West Asia ( ) * 230,000–150,000 years ago: age of (" ") * 195,000 years ago: (Ethiopia). * 170,000 years ago: humans are wearing by this date. * 160,000 years ago: * 150,000 years ago: : separation, age of * 125,000 years ago: peak of the interglacial period. * 120,000–90,000 years ago: in North Africa—the Sahara desert region is wet and fertile. * 120,000–75,000 years ago: back-migration from Southern Africa to East Africa. * 100,000 years ago: Earliest structures in the world (sandstone blocks set in a semi-circle with an oval foundation) built in Egypt close to near the modern border with . * 82,000 years ago: small perforated seashell beads from in Morocco are the earliest evidence of personal adornment found anywhere in the world. * 80,000–70,000 years ago: : of and non-Africans. * 75,000 years ago: supereruption that may have contributed to human populations being lowered to about 15,000 people. * 70,000 years ago: earliest example of abstract art or symbolic art from , South Africa—stones engraved with grid or cross-hatch patterns. Upper Paleolithic "Epipaleolithic" or "Mesolithic" are terms for a transitional period between the Last Glacial Maximum and the Neolithic Revolution in Old World (Eurasian) cultures. * 67,000–40,000 years ago: to Eurasians * 50,000 years ago: earliest found. Made and used by s. * 50,000–30,000 years ago: in North Africa. The region is wet and fertile. begins in Africa. * 45,000–43,000 years ago: . * 45,000–40,000 years ago: cultures in France. * 42,000 years ago: in Germany. * 42,000 years ago: earliest evidence of advanced deep sea fishing technology at the cave site in —demonstrates high-level maritime skills and by implication the technology needed to make ocean crossings to reach Australia and other islands, as they were catching and consuming large numbers of big deep sea fish such as tuna. * 41,000 years ago: lives in the . * 40,000 years ago: . sculpture ( , 40,000–35,000 years old)}} * 40,000 years ago: culture begins in Europe. * 40,000 years ago: oldest known the . found in the north-west }} * 40,000–30,000 years ago: First human settlement ( ) in , and . * 40,000–20,000 years ago: oldest known ritual , the , in , Australia. * 35,000 years ago: oldest known of a human figure as opposed to a zoomorphic figure ( ). * 33,000 years ago: oldest known skulls show they existed in both Europe and Siberia by this time. * 31,000–16,000 years ago: (peak at 26,500 years ago). * 30,000 years ago: rock paintings tradition begins in in , which presently as a collection is the densest known concentration of rock art. In an area about 10 km2, there are about 800 rock shelters of which 500 contain paintings. * 29,000 years ago: The earliest s found. * 28,500 years ago: is populated by colonists from Asia or Australia. * 28,000 years ago: oldest known twisted . * 28,000–24,000 years ago: oldest known pottery—used to make figurines rather than cooking or storage vessels ( ). * 28,000–20,000 years ago: period in Europe. Harpoons and saws invented. * 26,000 years ago: people around the world use to make baby carriers, clothes, bags, baskets, and nets. * 25,000 years ago: a hamlet consisting of huts built of rocks and of bones is founded in what is now in in the . This is the oldest human permanent settlement that has yet been found by archaeologists. * 21,000 years ago: artifacts suggests early human activity occurred in , the capital city of Australia. * 20,000 years ago: culture in the : beginning of the * 20,000 years ago: oldest pottery storage or cooking vessels from China. * 20,000–10,000 years ago: expansion to Central Africa. * 20,000–19,000 years ago: earliest pottery use, in , China. * 18,000–12,000 years ago: Though estimations vary widely, it is believed by scholars that was spoken as a around this time period. * 16,000–14,000 years ago: ( phenotype) in Okinawa, Japan * 16,000–13,000 years ago: first . * 16,000–11,000 years ago: expansion to Europe. * 16,000 years ago: (European bison) sculpted in clay deep inside the cave now known as in the near what is now the border of Spain. * 15,000–14,700 years ago (13,000 BC to 12,700 BC): Earliest supposed date for the . * 14,800 years ago: The Humid Period begins in North Africa. The region that would later become the is wet and fertile, and the s are full. * 14,500–11,500: in China, possible late survival of or humans. * 14,000–12,000 years ago: Oldest evidence for ( massacre, ). * 13,000–10,000 years ago: , end of the , climate warms, glaciers recede. * 13,000 years ago: A major water outbreak occurs on , which at the time could have been the size of the current and the largest lake on Earth. Much of the lake is drained in the Arctic Ocean through the . * 13,000–11,000 years ago: Earliest dates suggested for the . * 12,900–11,700 years ago: the was a period of sudden cooling and return to glacial conditions. * 12,000 years ago: has evidence of settlement dating back to 10,000 BC. Jericho was a popular camping ground for hunter-gatherer groups, who left a scattering of crescent tools behind them. * 12,000 years ago: Earliest dates suggested for the . References Category:Human evolution